Alabama State Rep.: ‘Every Confederate Statue and Flag Literally Represents the Oppression of Black People’

[excerpt clip starts LANDRIEU ░░░░░░░░ statues are not just ░░░░░░░░ and metal They re ░░░░░░░░ just innocent remembrances of ░░░░░░░░ benign history These monuments ░░░░░░░░ a fictional sanitized Confederacy ░░░░░░░░ the death ignoring the ░░░░░░░░ ignoring the terror that ░░░░░░░░ actually stood for clip ░░░░░░░░ LUI New Orleans mayor ░░░░░░░░ Landrieu announcing his reason ░░░░░░░░ removing several Confederate monuments ░░░░░░░░ his own city That ░░░░░░░░ sparked some controversy with ░░░░░░░░ held by people on ░░░░░░░░ sides of the issue ░░░░░░░░ Alabama lawmakers moved to ░░░░░░░░ their Confederate past This ░░░░░░░░ Republican governor Kay Ivey ░░░░░░░░ a bill making it ░░░░░░░░ to remove monuments that ░░░░░░░░ more than 40 years ░░░░░░░░ Fellow Republican Matt Butler ░░░░░░░░ bill s sponsor defended ░░░░░░░░ move saying the Alabama ░░░░░░░░ Preservation Act is designed ░░░░░░░░ preserve all aspects of ░░░░░░░░ state s history Butler ░░░░░░░░ fellow Alabama resident Condoleezza ░░░░░░░░ stating Destroying or attempting ░░░░░░░░ erase our shared history ░░░░░░░░ its most painful parts ░░░░░░░░ a disservice to future ░░░░░░░░ wishing to study it ░░░░░░░░ state senator Hank Sanders ░░░░░░░░ the new law He ░░░░░░░░ me now from Montgomery ░░░░░░░░ do you respond here ░░░░░░░░ thank you for joining ░░░░░░░░ today senator How do ░░░░░░░░ respond to what Condoleezza ░░░░░░░░ and Matt Butler are ░░░░░░░░ Sanders Well first let ░░░░░░░░ say that monuments are ░░░░░░░░ history Monuments are symbols ░░░░░░░░ how somebody feels about ░░░░░░░░ We re not destroying ░░░░░░░░ history The history is ░░░░░░░░ and it remains the ░░░░░░░░ That s simply about ░░░░░░░░ monument It s about ░░░░░░░░ somebody feels about something ░░░░░░░░ somebody that happened in ░░░░░░░░ and it s a ░░░░░░░░ It doesn t destroy ░░░░░░░░ And anybody who says ░░░░░░░░ monuments are history are ░░░░░░░░ confusing the issue LUI ░░░░░░░░ does one not confuse ░░░░░░░░ issue then What would ░░░░░░░░ your suggestion to both ░░░░░░░░ Butler the sponsor who ░░░░░░░░ the move as well ░░░░░░░░ Condoleezza Rice How do ░░░░░░░░ counter that argument Go ░░░░░░░░ Sanders First this bill ░░░░░░░░ started out with just ░░░░░░░░ monuments that are 50 ░░░░░░░░ old And if you ░░░░░░░░ back 50 years when ░░░░░░░░ bill was first introduced ░░░░░░░░ 2015 that was the ░░░░░░░░ of the 1965 Voting ░░░░░░░░ Act So they were ░░░░░░░░ to protect monuments that ░░░░░░░░ established before 1965 Not ░░░░░░░░ monuments It grew into ░░░░░░░░ Second or third these ░░░░░░░░ are statues and names ░░░░░░░░ buildings and bridges and ░░░░░░░░ things of people who ░░░░░░░░ only believed in white ░░░░░░░░ but they also believed ░░░░░░░░ slavery and who fought ░░░░░░░░ keep people in slavery ░░░░░░░░ are messages to our ░░░░░░░░ that these are people ░░░░░░░░ should emulate these are ░░░░░░░░ we should be like ░░░░░░░░ having black children having ░░░░░░░░ go to school here ░░░░░░░░ Montgomery Alabama in a ░░░░░░░░ named after Jeff Davis ░░░░░░░░ did everything that he ░░░░░░░░ could to keep black ░░░░░░░░ enslaved Or Robert E ░░░░░░░░ who was the lead ░░░░░░░░ for the Confederates in ░░░░░░░░ war imagine what that ░░░░░░░░ to them psychologically Can ░░░░░░░░ imagine any white person ░░░░░░░░ their children to go ░░░░░░░░ a school that was ░░░░░░░░ Nat Turner who was ░░░░░░░░ himself and struggled to ░░░░░░░░ himself and others They ░░░░░░░░ object to it strongly ░░░░░░░░ fact that was a ░░░░░░░░ senator who said Well ░░░░░░░░ monuments are all right ░░░░░░░░ don t do any ░░░░░░░░ And I asked him ░░░░░░░░ you allow your child ░░░░░░░░ go to a school ░░░░░░░░ after Malcolm X And ░░░░░░░░ said Malcolm X hadn ░░░░░░░░ killed anyone he hadn ░░░░░░░░ struck anyone He spoke ░░░░░░░░ for his people And ░░░░░░░░ said Absolutely not But ░░░░░░░░ also then said Well ░░░░░░░░ see your point.’”